Wanting It All
by LilyGhost
Summary: While in the process of teaching Stephanie a few takedown moves, Ranger finally slips through the last of her defenses against him. A Ranger POV story.


**This is what happens when you're stuck washing dishes ... you end up thinking of possible stories that want to be written as soon as you're done. Anything familiar belongs to Janet. As always, the mistakes are mine.**

"Come and get me."

"That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble, Babe."

"Oh yeah?" She said, grinning at me. "How so? Is some skip going to take offense to me calling him an asshole and shoot me?"

"It could happen, but that wasn't what I was referring to."

She tried for another move that would take my legs out from underneath me.

"Then what were you talking about?" She asked, her brain working overtime trying to figure out how to take me down without me actually letting her.

"That's a loaded question."

Little did she know, I'd already fallen hard ... and she hadn't done anything to cause it except for letting me see the woman hidden under the cop stories and headlines. I know I've been stupid for denying how strong my feelings for her have become.

Agreeing to help Stephanie on a one-on-one basis, is proving to be harder than I'd anticipated. The fact that she came over one day to specifically ask me for help in getting her better at locating, capturing, and subduing skips, had my respect for her increasing dramatically.

As I found out early on, I couldn't say _no _to her. And I didn't that time either. But I'd refused to take into account what would happen with the two of us spending more and more time together. And in today's case, getting up close and personal with each other. I'd already wanted her with a potential dick-breaking ache, and having her body constantly brushing against and slamming into the length of mine, is fucking with my control and the set limits of our friendship.

When Steph's leg curled around my calf, hoping her surprise attack and her body weight would get me on my back, I countered her weight with my own and took her down to the mats. She was sprawled out enticingly beneath me and I had no intention of letting her up. I looked down at her with a cocky smile on my face.

"Let's see you get out of this hold," I said, allowing her to cushion more of my body.

Stephanie, never being one to count out, did something I hadn't expected. She kissed me. In the past, she's done that more often than not, but only _after _I'd initiated it. This time, she made the first move by deliberately lifting her head and keeping eye contact with me until her lips were securely fastened to my mouth. I felt like I was falling all over again by the time she slid easily out from underneath me.

"Hah. I win," she bragged, trying to use a little false bravado to cover up the pink glow now spreading into her cheeks.

She's crazy if she thinks I don't know that she'd been just as affected as I was by that one kiss.

"You cheated," I told her, standing up.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"You plan on kissing every FTA that pins you."

She smiled. "Only the cute ones."

That wasn't what I wanted to hear right now.

"That ain't happening, Babe. Why did you just kiss me?"

"To _finally _get myself out of a hold you put me in."

"Try again."

"Umm ..."

"No lying, hedging, or avoiding," I warned her. "I want the truth."

"You're kind of hot?"

"_Stephanie _..."

I had to know exactly what was going on in her mind, and since I couldn't read hers at the moment, I needed her to tell me.

"Jeez, it was just a kiss. It's not a big deal."

"Wrong answer," I told her.

"Okay, it was in retaliation for that mouth comment."

"Getting closer."

"Jesus, Ranger, what do you want me to say? That it meant a _huge _deal to me?"

"For starters," I said, reaching for her.

"What about you?"

"Every moment I have with you I consider an important one."

"Is that why you said you'd work out with me?"

"Yes. I'd like to also see you become the bond agent I believe you can be with a little training, bullshit-free advice, and some steady guidance."

"Can I be completely honest here ... without you thinking I'm an idiot?" She asked me.

"I've never thought of you as an idiot, and I don't plan on breaking that today."

"Truth is, I _did _want you to teach me a few things to make my job easier and takedowns less embarrassing, but ..."

I slid my hand into her mess of curls and made her look at me. "But what, Babe?"

"The _real _reason I approached you was because I wanted us to spend some time together. We've both been so busy lately, I missed just hanging out with you."

"I've told you that you're welcome here anytime."

"But I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

"Which would be what exactly?" I asked her. "That you enjoy my company?"

"Are you making fun of me?" She asked, her blue eyes narrowing at me.

"No. I'm attempting to decode what you're _not _telling me. I've hauled ass through swamps that were clearer than you're being right now."

"I get it ... I suck at saying what I feel, especially when it involves someone I feel so much for, but this is hard for me."

"You think loving you has been easy for me?"

"Probably not, but at least you've had the balls to say it out loud. I've barely been able to _think _it, never mind _say _it."

"Say what?" I pushed, tracing her bottom lip with my thumb.

"Don't we have more gym stuff to get done before the guys decide to barge in on us?"

"They've been told to keep their asses out of here unless their presence is specifically requested. Now stop hiding from me," I ordered her.

"How can I be 'hiding' when you've got my face in your hands and I'm staring straight at you?"

"It's easy. I mastered that skill at a very young age ... and I never want you to have to."

She started doing some rapid-fire blinking, and I could see tears begin to collect in her eyes.

"Are you aware that you're the only woman who looks beautiful while crying?"

Steph glared at me. "I am _not _crying."

"Good. Then you can share why you were scared to come to me."

"I wasn't _scared _exactly ..."

"Babe."

"Okay, I was completely terrified that you'd think I was pushing myself, or my friendship, on you beyond where you were comfortable with me - or us - going."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just tell me what was going on with you, instead of pretending that nothing had changed between us?"

She pulled her head back. "Are you friggin' nuts? There was _no way _I could have done that."

"You're doing it now," I pointed out.

"Yeah, because you're sort of forcing me to."

She had a point.

"So while we're on the subject, what is it you want from me that you don't think I can handle?"

"Are you sure you want to do this right now?" She asked.

"_Yes_."

She shrugged. "Fine. If you're asking ... I want to be with you in every conceivable way. Not just as a fun distraction, a friend to grab a bite to eat with, or someone in need of protection. I want more."

My body went on full alert, going completely still, just waiting for the right moment to move in for the kill. Stephanie probably wouldn't appreciate me using military mentality in regards to her, but this mission is by far the most vital one I've been approached with.

"How much more?" I asked.

"I would say I'd take whatever you can give me, but really ... I want it all. Every part of you."

"And if I require the same?"

"You already have it. I was yours the moment I said adios to Morelli." She sighed. "Probably even long before that."

My mind was trying to come to grips with her admission, but my body already knew what to do. I lowered my head and didn't stop until her lips parted under mine and my tongue was stroking hers. I kissed her long and deep, then hard and fast. I've had similar out-of-body experiences - while being under enemy fire, or jumping out of helicopters in a desperate attempt to save mine or someone else's life - as I'm having right now as I kissed her.

She was with me every step of the way. Too bad we were still in the gym with cameras trained on us, or I would've taken her up against the wall not five feet from us. _That _will definitely be happening at a later date I decided. The thought of hearing Stephanie's satisfied moans ricocheting off the gym walls would be well worth the shit I'd get from Tank when he discovered I'd cut the camera feed for a while.

When my lungs started burning, I reluctantly let go of Stephanie. She looked down at herself, then shook her head.

"What?" I asked her.

"I thought for sure my clothes had melted off, but I guess I'm still dressed."

"That is disappointing. I'll have to do something about that shortly," I told her, eyeing her workout pants that emphasized the toned legs that I plan on spending plenty of time between once we get upstairs. "But we may have to add in a few more defense moves to today's lesson first."

"Why?" She asked, still looking a little dazed as well as thoroughly kissed.

"Because you're going to need every single one of them in order to keep me away from you now."

I kissed her again and Steph's arms crept up my back, her hands locking together behind my neck to keep me where I was. I lifted my head and she smiled before speaking.

"I say we're done for the day then, because I don't _want _or _need _to keep you away from me. Unless maybe you could demonstrate a few techniques that would keep someone under _my _power until they agree to do things my way."

"Are you talking about on the street or in my bedroom?" I asked, pulling her hips closer.

"_Both_."

"I think the 'techniques' you already know need to be tested out and carefully evaluated before I show you anything new."

"You weren't talking about doing that down here in the gym, were you?"

"No."

"What are we waiting for then?" She asked me.

"I'm waiting to hear you say it."

She looked up into my face, and I watched as the teasing light in her eyes was slowly replaced with something frightening serious. Her chest expanded into the muscles of mine as she took a deep breath.

"I love you, Ranger," she said softly.

Those four little words were all she needed to get me doing whatever she wanted for life.


End file.
